Online fantasy to hit the big screen with fan support

Alibaba Pictures is the latest online platform to make a bid for the big screen, announcing it plans to turn a popular Internet novel into a movie with the help of fans.

Sansheng Sanshi Shili Taohua, (Ten-Mile Peach Blossom of Three Lifetimes), adapted from a 2008 hit online fantasy novel of the same title, will start shooting in November.

Set in a fictional world in which monsters, gods and humans coexist, the story weaves a complicated timeline into a bittersweet romance between a 140,000-year-old fox princess and a 50,000-year-old dragon prince.